


Daughter of a Diamond

by Squirrel_Bait1



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2020-10-19 21:09:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20663816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squirrel_Bait1/pseuds/Squirrel_Bait1
Summary: The story follows a teenage girl named Lori Reese, who is unknowingly a gem-human hybrid and daughter of Blue Diamond, who gave up her physical form just as Pink Diamond did for Steven Universe. (Also on FanFiction.net and Wattpad)





	1. Chapter 1

_How could you do this, Blue?_

_Have you not learned from what happened to Pink? How can you be so foolish?_

_Do you have any idea what will happen if White finds out about this?_

_BEEP! _

_BEEP!_

_BEEP!_

_BEEP!_

That ever so annoying sound from the alarm clock on my nightstand shakes me out of my dream, the voices still echoing inside my head. I groan and reach over to pound the snooze button. _7:00am_, it reads. I guess I can catch some more Z’s. As soon as I snuggle back into my cozy blanket and array of fluffy pillows, I hear my mom’s shrill voice call for me from downstairs.

“Lori Ann!”

That’s me.

“Get your ass out of bed, or you’ll be late for school!”

“Fine,” I grumble to myself as I kick the blanket off and stand up. My head still foggy from sleep and my eyes still drooping, I slowly walk over to the moon chair with a giant pile of clean clothes stacked on top of it and pick through it, trying to find a decent outfit for the day.

My name is Lori Ann Reese. I’m fourteen years old, and it’s my first day of high school. Lovely. I’ve always hated school, but I’ve been dreading high school the most for a while now. Just from the movies I’ve seen, it looks awful. Mom says it’s really not that bad. I’ll believe it when I see it.

Most girls my age are starting school with brand shiny new clothes and fancy new backpacks that Mommy and Daddy bought for them. But not me. I get the raggedy old hand-me-downs from my sisters.

Well, _technically_ my sisters.

You see, I’ve been tossed between foster homes for as long as I remember. I’ve never had a place I could truly call home or anyone I could really consider family. Kind of sad, I know. But I’ve grown accustomed to it. I don’t know too much about my real parents. I was just told that my birth mother died when I was born due to difficulties in labor, and no one knows what happened to the father. I don’t like to think about it.

Every foster home I’ve been to, I’ve always been the odd one out. I’ve always had freakishly white hair, pale skin, bright blue eyes, and a weird blue crystal thing embedded in my chest that no one can explain. I think I was just born with it. I’ve always had it, and I’m convinced it’s a part of me. It hurts like hell when I try to take it out. I’ve tried. I tend to avoid wearing low-cut tops so no one can see it, but I can’t hide it all the time. It usually starts to glow when I get emotional. Sometimes it just does it out of nowhere. It’s really annoying, and I feel like a freakshow. Some days I wish I could just rip it out.

All the other kids at home, at school, and in the neighborhood have always made fun of me. I’ve never had many friends because of it. I get called a freak, an alien, a witch, and many other nasty names. Someone once spread a rumor at school that I actually was a witch. It stuck with me for a while.

I grab a t-shirt and jeans from the pile and head out my bedroom door, toward the bathroom. Someone’s already in the shower. Figures.

My little sister, Carrie, is standing at the bathroom door, pounding on it. “Hurry uuuuup, Amy! I gotta peeeeeeee!”

Good morning, family.

I put the fresh clothes aside and go downstairs. I guess I can get my breakfast while I wait for the bathroom to be free. There, I see Mom sitting at the dining table, sipping her usual morning coffee from her favorite mug.

She looks up at me and smiles. “Oh good, you’re up. Hope you’re ready for your first day of high school!”

I don’t say anything to her as I prepare myself a bowl of cereal. Her smile fades.

“I forget you’re not a morning person like I am. There’s some coffee if you want some. It’ll help wake your grumpy ass up.”

“You know I hate coffee,” I say as I pull up a seat across from her. I’m not used to seeing her without makeup. She has dark circles and bags under her eyes, along with worry lines resting across her forehead. Hard to blame her with all these kids running around the house.

“Well, _you _know that those energy drinks are awful for you.” She observes my messy mop of hair and oily, unwashed face. “Why haven’t you had a shower yet?”

I choke my first bite of cereal down. “Amy’s hogging the bathroom, as usual.”

Just then, the entire crew comes tumbling down the stairs. My foster brothers and sisters. There are four girls, including me, and two boys.

There’s the oldest, Amy, who’s seventeen. We don’t get along. She comes downstairs wearing five pounds of makeup and a slutty tube top. Mom yells at her and tells her she can’t wear that to school. She begrudgingly goes back upstairs to change.

There’s Alyssa, fifteen. She’s alright, I guess. We help each other with our homework. She hangs around the nerdy crowd at school, invites her friends over to play games. I join them sometimes.

There’s Carrie, ten. Her blonde hair is tied up in pigtails. She’s the biggest brat I know.

There’s the youngest out of all of us, John, six. He’s a cool little dude. Maybe the only one around here I get along best with. He likes to play video games with me. I usually let him win.

Then there’s…ugh…Matthew. The worst of them all. He’s sixteen years old, smokes like a chimney, and has made my life hell the whole time I’ve lived here. I went to school with him at one point. He might’ve been the one who spread that rumor about me, but I can’t prove it. The first day I came to this foster home, he called me a “freaky looking bitch,” and put his cigarette out on my arm. Way to make a good first impression. The pain was indescribable. I still have the scar.

Other times he’s tried to touch me in places I don’t want _anyone _to touch me. He’s tried to peek on me in the shower. I hate him. He’s a creep. I’ve told Mom about what he’s been doing. She simply scolds him, but nothing else.

He brushes past me and gives me his shit-eating grin. My heart jumps up into my throat. I rush up to the bathroom so I can get my shower and start my day so I can just avoid him at school. I stand in the shower and let the hot water run down my body for what feels like hours. Just looking at him makes me feel gross.

I quickly brush my hair, put on some makeup, and throw on the outfit I picked out and run downstairs, where my backpack waits for me on the couch.

“Come on, guys, we’re burnin’ daylight here!” Mom calls out to all of us as we rush out the door into the warm morning sun. I stand there with my eyes closed and enjoy the warmth beating down on my back. I do this a lot, because I feel like I get a moment of peace for once. Then I pile into the Mom Van with the rest of the kids.

I hope the rest of my day is at least bearable.


	2. Chapter 2

Welcome to Keystone High School. Home of the Warriors.

I’ve lived in Keystone my whole life, as well as plenty of other kids in my grade. I see some faces I recognize, some I don’t. I glide through the halls hoping no one will notice me. Yet I feel their stares burning into my skin and hear their conversations with their friends fade into a whisper as I pass by. I want to disappear.

I’m already an outcast.

I go to the same school with all of my older foster siblings, but since none of us are in the same grade, I rarely see them. This is good. I have a new place where I can avoid them.

My day goes like this: algebra, English, history, biology, gym, lunch, art, then Spanish.

Of course, my first class of the day would be math. I’ve always been insanely good at it, even though I hate it. It’s the subject Alyssa has the most trouble with. I got placed in the advanced algebra class, mostly juniors and seniors. I think I’m one of only three freshmen in the class. I feel like a wounded zebra surrounded by a pack of lions. I carefully pick out a seat towards the back. It makes it less likely for the teacher to call on you. Another wounded zebra turns and smiles at me. She’s packing at least five grand worth of orthodontia, but has great shoes.

“I’m Sydney, from Empire City,” she says. “I’m new here. Are you?”

“Lori.”

Before I can say anything else, our teacher, Mr. Freeman, quiets the class down to begin the usual welcome-to-my-class lecture. I just realize I haven’t had my energy drink. My eyes are drooping.

It’s going to be a long day.

I have the strangest dreams. I know they say everyone has strange dreams, but I mean my dreams are just so…surreal. I’ve had the same ones since I was little. They play like a loop in my head. I can usually predict which one I might have before bed.

I hear the echoes of familiar voices, but I can’t quite make out what they’re saying. Sometimes I see familiar faces, but I can’t put a finger on who they are. It’s almost as if they’re not really dreams, but maybe distant memories? I’ve mentioned this to Alyssa once before. She searched the Internet for articles on reincarnation and past lives and things like that. I don’t believe in that crap.

If it is real, maybe Amy was a succubus in her past life.

It happened again when I fell asleep in biology. I hear two different voices this time. One is soothing and soft, the other is strong and powerful.

I hear another sound. It sounds so distant. It’s not a voice, but…a song? Like a chord played on a musical instrument. An accordion?

_Thwap_!

Ms. Weaver smacks a ruler on my desk to wake me up. A flurry of giggles ripples through the classroom. My cheeks burn as I hide my face in a book.

Gym should be illegal. It’s humiliating. My gym locker is closest to the door, which means I have to change my clothes in a bathroom stall. Sydney has the locker next to mine. She wears her gym clothes under her regular clothes. After gym she changes out of her shorts, but always leaves an undershirt on. It makes me worry about the girls in Empire City. Do they all have to wear undershirts?

I’m surprised to find that Alyssa is in the same gym class. I guess we can’t always avoid each other here. She almost said something to me when school started, but instead when back to her D&D game with her friends.

Alyssa has always been a lot more confident and athletic than me. She doesn’t mind changing her clothes in public. She even changes bras, wearing a sports bra to gym class and a regular one to all her other classes. Never blushes or turns around to hide herself, just changes her clothes. I’ll never understand it. But if you’re as tough as Alyssa, you don’t care if people make comments about your boobs or rear end.

Alyssa can do anything that involves a ball and a whistle. She makes it look easy. Boys watch her to learn how to play better. The gym teachers have a special place in their hearts for her. They’re always urging her to join the girls’ softball team.

If it weren’t for her attitude, it would be easier to deal with all this. The crappy locker I have, Sydney hovering around me like a moth, cold mornings in the mud watching Alyssa, Warrior Princess, listening to the coaches praise her- I could just accept it and move on. But Alyssa is so friendly. She even talks to Sydney. She told her where to buy a mouth guard so her braces won’t cut up her lips if she gets hit by a ball. Sydney says she now wants to buy a sports bra. Alyssa is just not a bitch. It would be so much easier to hate her if she were.

Lunch follows gym, like a dream follows a complete nightmare. School lunches have made me sick in the past, so I just bring my own now. I dive into the stream of fourth-period lunch students and swim down the hall to the cafeteria. I try to scan for a friendly face or an inconspicuous corner. I can’t sit with anyone I don’t know. I can’t sit alone, either.

I need a friend. Not a true friend, nothing close or share clothes or sleepover-giggle-giggle-yak-yak. Just a pseudo-friend, a disposable one. Friend as accessory. Just so I don’t look and feel so stupid.

Think fast, Lori. There’s the new girl, Sydney, reading alone at a table. I could sit across from her. Or I could crawl behind a trash can. Or maybe I could dump my lunch straight into the trash and keep moving right on out the door.

Sydney looks up from her book. She sees me and waves, then motions for me to sit down at her table.

“Lori! Hey!” she says as I take a seat across from her. “I’m so glad you’re here. I was starting to get all lonely. You’re like my only friend in this whole school!”

I nearly choke on my drink. “I am?”

“Yeah! You’ve been the coolest person I’ve met in this dinky little town so far. It’s so different from Empire City.”

A moment of silence passes between us as I munch on my sandwich.

“I like your hair, by the way.”

“Huh?”

“Did you dye it?”  


Sure, let’s go with that.

I nod.

“That’s so cool!” she beams. “I wish my mom would let me dye my hair like that. You’re like a rockstar from the 80s or something!”

I can’t help but let out a laugh. “Um, thanks, I guess?”

“Hey, you wanna hang out at my house after school?”

This is all too much for me. Especially since I’ve only known this girl for a few hours. There’s a lingering thought in the back of my mind that maybe I shouldn’t trust the situation, but I ignore it. I’m happy anyway.

“Sure.”

Sydney squeals with pure excitement. It catches me off guard. She’s almost too peppy for my taste.

“Awesome! It’s a date.”

Maybe high school won’t be so bad after all.


	3. Chapter 3

On the way to her house, Sydney tries to bully me into joining a club. She has a plan. She wants us to join five clubs, one for every day of the week. The tricky part is choosing the clubs that have the right people.

When we get to Sydney’s house, her mother meets us at the door. Her eyes widen when she sees me and she looks me over, but doesn’t say anything. She wants to hear all about our day, how long I’ve lived in town, and asks little sideways questions about my family, so she can figure out if I’m the kind of friend she wants for her daughter. I don’t mind. I think it’s nice that she cares.

Sydney shows me around the house and tells me all about the cool lounge in the basement that her parents have just finished setting up. Armed with a family-sized bag of Chaaaaps and sodas, we retreat to the “lounge.” You can hardly even tell it’s a basement. It’s covered in carpeting nicer than what we have in our living room. A monster TV glows in a corner, and there’s a pool tables and exercise equipment. It doesn’t even smell like a basement.

Sydney hops on the treadmill and continues scheming. She isn’t finished with her survey of Keystone’s social scene, but she thinks that maybe choir will be a good place to start. Maybe we can try out for the musical. I turn on the TV and eat her chips.

“What should we do?” Sydney says. “What do you want to join? Maybe we could tutor at the elementary school.” She increases the speed of the treadmill. “Isn’t Alyssa in the anime club? She’s your sister, right? But she does all those sports too, doesn’t she? I could never do sports. I fall down too easily. What do you want to do?”

“Nothing,” I say. “The clubs are stupid. I get enough of Alyssa at home. I even share a room with her. Want some chips?”

She speeds up the treadmill even more and breaks into a sprint. It’s so loud I can hardly hear the TV. Sydney wags her finger at me. Hanging back is a common mistake most freshmen make, she says. I shouldn’t be intimidated. I have to get involved, become part of the school. That’s what all the popular kids do. She turns down the treadmill and wipes her brow with a towel that hangs off the side of the machine. After a few minutes of cooling down, she hops off.

“A hundred calories,” she crows. “Want to try?”

I shudder and hold out the bag of chips to her. She plops down on the couch beside me. “So, I’ve been meaning to ask you,” she says. “Your brother and sisters all go to our school, right? But…none of you even look related. Are you all adopted or something? I-If you don’t mind me asking.”

This question smacks me in the face out of nowhere like a ball in gym class. “Sort of. It’s a foster home.” I open my soda. “Basically, we belong to the state and the social workers just place us wherever they deem appropriate. My foster mom’s husband died of cancer a few years ago, and she can’t have kids of her own. So I guess she decided to become a foster parent and take a bunch of troubled kids under her wing. Some days I wonder if she ever regrets it.”

“Why did your parents put you in foster care?”

“I don’t know. All I know is my mother died. I never knew my dad.”

“Do you think he’ll come back for you?”

I take a drink from my soda and pause. “No.”

Her face falls. “I’m sorry.”

At least a minute of silence passes between us, then she picks up a pen and piece of paper. “We need to make plans,” she says solemnly. She writes “GOALS” and draws a line underneath it. “We won’t get anywhere without knowing our goals. What are yours, Lori?”

“To get out of high school alive?”

She frowns. “Hey, come on, don’t be so negative.”

“Why shouldn’t I be?” I say. “Most of my life, I’ve been treated like an outcast and I’m sure everyone at that school thinks I’m a freak, too. I just want to blend into the shadows until I’m no longer a ward of the state and can do whatever I want.”

“I don’t think you’re a freak.”

“What?”

“I really don’t,” Sydney says. “You’re like the most chill person I’ve met so far this year. I just want to find a way to instill some confidence in you, you know? And to top it off, you’re beautiful!”

Beautiful? I don’t think anyone has really said that to me before. “You really think so?”

“Yeah! I mean, you’re smokin’ hot! No homo, by the way. But really! Just don’t be afraid to show some skin, girl. If we changed up your wardrobe a bit, I bet you’d get _all_ the boys. You should let me do your makeup one of these days. Hide those dark circles under your eyes. Um, I mean, no offense.”

I feel a small smile creep across my face. “It’s fine. I have trouble sleeping most nights.”

Sydney giddily jumps up from the couch. “Stay right there. I’ll be right back!”

She runs up the stairs, and within moments, she’s coming back down with a big trash bag slung over her shoulder.

“These are clothes we were going to donate them, since I don’t wear them anymore,” Sydney says. “But I figured you would like them, and I think we’re about the same size.”

I open the bag and pick through its contents. The clothes are practically brand new and most definitely didn’t come from the thrift store Mom likes to shop at.

One of the shirts in the bag catches my eye. It’s a long sleeve, navy blue off-the-shoulder top. Even though I hate wearing low-cut tops, this one actually seems kind of cute.

I’ve always been weirdly drawn to the color blue. Even on my first day of kindergarten, I had a baby blue shirt, shoes, and backpack, while most other five-year-old girls were swathed in pink. I never liked the color pink that much. For some reason, it just reminds me of something missing. Maybe the fact that I’ll never truly live a normal life.

“Ooooh, that one was my favorite!” Sydney says. “Wanna try it on? There’s a full body mirror over here. Don’t worry, I won’t look.”

She turns to face the wall as I change my shirt. The shirt shows off my shoulders and even the gem thing on my chest. A little too much skin for my liking. I’m not sure if I like it.

“What is that?”

I follow Sydney’s gaze to the gem. “It’s nothing,” I say as I try to cover it with my hands.

“No, really, what is it?” She pries my hands away from my chest. “Is this like one of those things that Indian ladies wear on their foreheads?”

I let out an exasperated sigh. “I don’t know what it is. I’ve always had it and I can’t take it out.”

“Well, it’s pretty,” Sydney grins. “It makes you unique. Anyway, you can take those clothes home. Next time, I’ll show you some makeup tricks.”

This all seems too good to be true. Why is this girl being so nice to me? I can’t help myself. I feel happy tears coming on. A faint blue glow from my chest illuminates the room.

“Thank you,” I say. “For today. This is actually the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”

“Don’t mention it!” I notice tears welling up in her eyes. “Hey, don’t cry. You’re gonna make me cry, too!”

I sniffle and wipe my eyes. “Sorry.”

“Hey, your…thingy!” She points to the gem. “Does it normally do that?”

“Sometimes.”

“That’s actually pretty cool! That would make a sweet night light.”

I giggle. “It gets kind of annoying.”

Sydney is everything I wish I was. She’s happy, driven, aerobically fit. She has a nice mom and an awesome TV. For once, I actually feel like a normal teenager. Staying at a friend’s house, eating junk, talking _and_ sharing clothes. Maybe I actually have a true friend now. I’ve already opened up to her. I probably shouldn’t let her or anyone all the way in just yet.

Sydney’s mom offers me a ride home.

My goal is to go home and take a nap.


	4. Chapter 4

I wave goodbye to Sydney’s mom as she drives away. I instantly get that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as I stroll up to the front door of my house. Almost makes me want to run back to Sydney’s mom and cling to her, beg her to adopt me.

I open the door and walk right back into my normal day-to-day chaos. Matthew is sitting on the couch, swearing at his video game with the TV turned almost all the way up, and Amy is sitting next to him on her phone, more than likely scrolling through social media. Carrie is lying on the living room floor on her stomach, swinging her legs while doing her homework. Alyssa and some of her friends are at the dining room table, continuing their D&D campaign. I guess they’ve officially claimed Monday nights as their game nights, so everyone else will have to do their homework somewhere else. John must be up in his room.

Amy looks up from her phone and a sly smile spreads across her face when she sees me. “Well, look who it is! Where’ve you been? Just started high school and you’re already hoein’ around, huh, _Whori_?”

Matthew chuckles, still focused on his game.

I’ve only been home for a minute, and my head is armed with possible comebacks for Amy, which I stirred up on the way back. I know how to deal with her. “You’re one to talk. You’ve had more cock in you than a Mexican chicken farm.”

Matthew and Alyssa’s friends burst out laughing as Amy’s face goes almost as red as a tomato.

“Come on, you guys,” Alyssa says. “Don’t talk like that in front of Carrie.”

“I don’t care!” Carrie chirps.

“God, you’re a bitch,” Amy says. She glances at the overstuffed trash bag in my hand. “What’s in that bag there?”

“I’ll bet it’s a dead body,” Matthew says. “Wouldn’t surprise me with all the witchcraft she does.”

I do my best to ignore him. “I just got some new clothes.”

“Did you steal them?” Amy says.

“My friend gave them to me.”

Amy fake gasps and says “You have _friends_?!”

“Sydney?” Alyssa asks.

I nod.

“Well, I, for one, am glad you’re getting out and socializing.”

I walk into the kitchen away from all the noise in the living room. “Is Mom home yet?”

“Nope,” Alyssa says. “She had to work overtime. We ordered pizza. There’s some left in the fridge if you want it.”

Of course. At first, Mom was pretty good about making dinners in the morning and sticking them in the fridge, but I knew it would end. She’s having staff problems again. Mom manages the thrift store downtown, where we all get our clothes from. She was offered a job at another clothing store in the mall, but she didn’t want it. I think she likes the reactions she gets when she says she works downtown. “Aren’t you afraid?” people ask. “I would never work there in a million years.” Mom loves doing the things that other people are afraid of. She could have been a snake handler.

But being located in that area makes it hard to find people to work for her. Daily shoplifters, bums peeing on the front door, and the occasional armed robbery discourage job seekers. Go figure. It’s only September and she’s already thinking Christmas. She has plastic snowflakes and red-felt-wearing Santas on the brain. If she can’t find enough employees for September, she’ll be in deep shit when the holiday season hits.

I grab a couple slices of pizza from the fridge and nuke them for thirty seconds, then trot up the stairs to my room. This house feels so much smaller than it actually is with all these people. Four bedrooms and two bathrooms. The master bedroom belongs to Mom, of course. Alyssa and I share a room, Carrie and Amy share theirs, and the boys get their room. It’s almost as if I’m suffocating at times.

I set the plate down on the nightstand and toss the bag on the floor. My bed is sending out serious nap rays. Homework is not an option. I can’t help myself. The fluffy pillows and warm blankets are more powerful than I am. I have no choice but to snuggle under the covers. I drown out all the noise coming from downstairs. Maybe I won’t take a real nap. I have this halfway place, a rest stop on the road to sleep, where I can stay for hours. I don’t even have to close my eyes, just stay safe under the covers and breathe.

Someone knocks twice on the door, then enters. “You ain’t getting away from me that easily, shorty.”

Ugh. It’s Alyssa. Why can’t she just go away?

“No, I’m not doing your homework for you.”

“I was actually going to ask you if you want to come down and join our campaign,” she says. “It’s fun. You might enjoy it.”

She pauses. “And, well…I _do _need some help on my math homework, too. If you don’t mind.”

I say nothing. I can hear the trash bag rustling as Alyssa goes through it. “Man, these are nice! Sydney’s parents must be loaded! Anyway, your pizza’s getting cold. Come down here when you’re done eating.”

_I find myself standing in the middle of some sort of desert, a big, bright light in the sky. Like a big star. _

_There’s that song again. It grows louder and louder as the light grows brighter and brighter. I can’t see. I can’t think. _

_I see my reflection. The sound of breaking glass. My face becomes a Picasso sketch, my body slicing into pieces._

_I look down. There’s a giant hole in my chest where my gem was, blood spilling out and soaking my clothes._

I gasp as I abruptly sit up in bed and breathe a sigh of relief. My heart is racing. Just a dream, I tell myself. I look across the room at Alyssa’s bed. Still sound asleep. At least I’m not getting bitched at for waking her up this time.

There’s a whisper in the dark. “Lori.”

I look to see John standing at my bed, the moonlight streaming in through the blinds lighting up his hue. “Did you have a bad dream?”

“Yeah.”

“I did, too. Can I sleep with you?”

“Sure, buddy,” I whisper as I scoot over to make room for him. He climbs up and snuggles in beside me.”

“I had a bad dream about my mom and dad.”

“Oh, man.”

“Did you have a mom and dad, Lori?”

“Everyone had parents at some point,” I say, still keeping my voice down as to not wake up Alyssa. “I did, Amy, Carrie, Alyssa, Matthew, _and_ you did. It’s just that they couldn’t take care of us for different reasons, so now we’re all here.”

I don’t want to tell him exactly why we all ended up in a foster home. Our parents are either dead or in prison, addicted to drugs and/or alcohol.

“I don’t even remember them,” he says.

I begin to run my fingers through his hair. “Neither do I.”

John falls asleep with his arms wrapped around me, his face buried in my neck. Pretty soon, I find myself dozing off as well.


	5. Chapter 5

I’ve made it through the first month of school without a nuclear meltdown. Sydney and I have been hanging out a lot more. We sit together at lunch and come over to each other’s houses some days after school. On the days we don’t spend the evening together, she calls me to talk about homework. She can talk for hours. All I have to do is prop my phone against my ear and “uh-huh” occasionally while I flip through channels.

Amy got a job at Mom’s store. Mom says it’s about time she learns some responsibility and start helping out with bills. The news is, I’ll be seeing less of her. The bad news is, there’s no one around who can actually stand talking to Matthew, so I have to deal with him more. I try to avoid him as much as I can.

Halloween has already arrived, and Mom already took Carrie and John trick-or-treating. I guess she’s decided that the rest of us are too old for that. We’re all off to do our own thing this year, anyway. Sydney is dragging me to a crazy Halloween party thrown by a bunch of seniors. Their parents must be out of town.

She comes up to my door wearing a witch costume, a duffel bag on her shoulder.

“Ohmygod, this is so exciting! My first high school party with my best friend!”

Before I can say anything, she reaches into the duffel bag and pulls out a black cat costume and shoves it in my face. “Here, put this on.”

“If you really think I’m-”

“Hurry! Mom’s waiting for us outside.”

With a sigh, I head up to the bathroom to change, and as soon as I come back down we are out the door and in Sydney’s mom’s car. She takes us to the other side of town, where all the rich folks live. The area has some of the biggest and fanciest houses I’ve ever seen. I can already tell where the party is. The whole front yard is trashed. I can only imagine what the inside is like.

“Have fun, girls!” Sydney’s mom calls to us as she drops us off and drives away.

Sydney leads me inside, and it’s exactly what I expected. Strobe lights, loud music, broken glass, the smell of beer and weed in the air, girls in wearing questionable costumes. I feel so out of place in this dorky costume.

Within seconds, Sydney disappears among the horde of our fellow students, and I’m left stranded. I don’t dare venture upstairs, so I weave my way through the crowd of people making out, jumping on tables, and stepping over people passed out on the floor, trying to find my way to the backdoor. I’m regretting this already.

Someone bumps into me, almost knocking me over. It’s Sydney. “Hey giirrrl, you gotta summa dis!” she hiccups and holds a red Solo cup to my face. I take a sip and immediately my face scrunches up in disgust. It’s bitter and strong. It burns the back of my throat.

“Ugh! Sydney, what is this?”

“Cranberry ‘n’ vodka!” she says, her words slurred.

“Are you drunk?” I ask, but she stumbles away without answering.

I need something to get that taste out of my mouth. I find a table with a punch bowl and scoop some into a cup. To my dismay, the punch is also spiked. Someone else bumps into me and splashes it all over my costume.

“Hey! Asshole!”

I can’t take this anymore. I bolt to the backdoor and come out to the freezing night air, like coming up from the ocean to breathe.

Winters in Keystone suck. They start too early and end too late. And snow. Lots of snow. No excuse for us to miss school. There is no such thing as “snow days” in Keystone.

I shiver as I take a deep breath through my nose and out through my mouth, watching my breath disappear into the sky as the little snow flurries melt against my face.

“Great night for a party, huh?”

I turn to see a boy leaning against the wall a few feet away from me. He’s wearing some kind of superhero costume with a mask, so I don’t recognize him.

“Come out here to escape all the chaos?”

“Yeah. Not really my scene,” I say.

He chuckles. “Same here. Free candy would be much better than this. You reek like booze. Hitting the bottle hard, I take it?”

“No, some bozo bumped into me.”

We stand in the cold in silence for a few moments. “My name’s Randy, by the way.”

“Lori.”

“Have we met before?”

“I don’t think so,” I say as I pull out my phone to check the time. “Anyway, it’s getting kinda late, and I want to get out of here. See you around, I guess.”

“Okay, then,” Randy says as I turn and make my way home. I won’t even bother calling Sydney’s mom. “Nice talking to you.”

I manage to make it home just before curfew. I some shortcuts around town that help me make it home on time. This time I had to cut across some backyards.

I see Matthew sitting on the couch. Unfortunately, I can’t avoid him this time.

“Right on time,” he says with a smirk. “Welcome home, _Whori_.”

“Since when do you care?”

“I’m just looking out for my dearest little sister, that’s all.” He lights a cigarette. I can feel my heart pounding all the way up to my head.

“You know Mom doesn’t want you smoking in the house.”

“Do I really seem like I give a shit?” he says as he gets up and circles around me like a hawk.

I try to go upstairs, but he grabs my wrist. “Were you drinking? Our innocent little Lori has gone wild, hasn’t she?”

I try to break away from him. He’s too strong. “Why is it any business of yours?”

“Better watch the way you talk to me, kid, or I might just have to teach you another lesson.” He flicks some cigarette ashes on my shoulder and blows smoke in my ear.

I bolt upstairs to my room and slam the door. I collapse on my bed and just let everything go, sobbing into my pillow. My gem is glowing again.

I want to kill him.


	6. Chapter 6

I manage to slip out of the house and head to school early before anyone else gets out of bed. I don’t want to face anyone after what happened last night. I crept around like a ninja getting ready, trying not to wake anyone. Fayette’s makes amazing jelly donuts and I have some cash in my pocket, so I stop there on the way. By the time I get to school, my insides are all cold from breathing the frozen morning air and I can feel my nose hairs crackle. My fingers are numb, as if the cold just seeped through my gloves. I bet it’s easier for kids in Arizona to walk to school.

Sydney doesn’t meet me before class like she usually does. I get a little worried, since I basically abandoned her at that party. For a little while, I get this feeling deep in my gut that something may have happened to her, but it subsides when I see her in algebra with her head down at her desk, still reeling from her hangover. Not her usual chipper self. When at sit at my desk next to her, I get the urge to say something witty and bitchy for dragging me to that party like “Was it worth it?” but my conscience tells me to be a good friend, so I keep my mouth shut.

She’s like a zombie for the rest of the period, trying but failing to make it not too obvious that she’s messed up. As the class is taking notes, the girl sitting behind me taps on my shoulder. I turn around to look at her, and she gives me a folded piece of paper. A note, maybe? I open it to read its contents.

_Meet me at the front of the school at lunch :)_

I turn again and she points to the boy sitting in the back corner. He’s a junior, and he’s kind of cute. Hair slicked back with sunglasses perched atop his head, leather jacket…typical rebel type. He looks up at me and winks. I turn back and look down at my notebook and smile. I can feel myself blushing. My stomach does a little leap for joy. Am I going to be asked out? Is this a dream?

“I’m _never_ drinking again!”

When I used to imagine what my high school life would be like, I didn’t exactly picture myself in a cramped bathroom stall, holding my only friend’s hair back as she vomits in the toilet, but here I am. “That’s what they all say.”

“Ugh, I knew I shouldn’t have eaten lunch today.” She releases more of her stomach sludge into the toilet and flushes. The smell makes me want to throw up as well. “Where did you go last night? I needed you, you jerk!”

I shrug. “The party was a little too wild for me, so I went home. Sorry.”

“God, you’re so lame,” Sydney says, still leaning over the toilet. She’s almost as pale as I am.

“You know foster kids have curfews, right?”

She groans. “I’m sorry, Lori. I don’t actually think you’re lame. Or a jerk. I just got upset, that’s all.”

“How did your mom not notice you were drunk?”

“Someone at the party drove me home. My parents would kill me if they knew I was drinking.”

I rip off a piece of toilet paper and wipe some of the gunk off her face. “Anyway, I got this note from a boy in class. He wants to hang out with me.”

Sydney immediately perks up. “Really!?”

She groans then leans back down at the toilet. “Don’t get me all excited like that. Who is it?”

“I don’t know,” I say. “Some kid who sits in the back of our math class.”

“Well, don’t let me hold you down, go get ‘im, sista!”

“Uh, are you sure? You going to be okay in here?”

“I’ll be fine, just go!”

She eagerly opens the bathroom stall and shoves me out.

The front parking lot is pretty dead at this time of day. I’m used to seeing it bustling in the mornings and afternoons when parents come to pick up and drop off their kids. But in the middle of the day, it’s dead silent. Just the teachers’ and some students’ cars sitting idly, waiting for the day to end.

I lean up against a wall near the front office, scanning the area for my…date, I suppose. There’s a little voice in the back of my head saying _What if he ditched me? _It makes my gut sink.

“You looked adorable in that cat costume last night.”

I jump. It’s the mystery boy from my math class. “Wait…Randy? That was you?”

“Sure was.”

“You really need to stop sneaking up on people like that.”

He takes a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of his jacket pocket and lights one. He holds the carton out to me. “You smoke?”

The smell makes me cringe. “No.”

This has never happened to me before. How exactly do I start a conversation with someone who asked me to hang out? Especially a boy. Just play it cool, Lori.

“So…what did you want?”

Dammit. I hope that doesn’t come off rude. Oh, Lori, you socially awkward idiot. This must be why I could never make friends. Why can’t I do anything right?

Randy holds the cigarette between two fingers and blows a plume of smoke into the air. “Just wanted to get to know you, that’s all. I figured you could use a friend.”

“Wow, has word gotten around that I’m a complete loser?”

He takes another drag from the cigarette and lets the smoke out through his nose this time. I really wish he would stop. “I don’t believe the rumors. I think you seem pretty cool.”

I knew it. Matthew must have spread rumors about me throughout the school. Who else but him?

“O-oh, right.”

“So, I take it you know Matt, right?”

My heart is racing. “Y-yeah, what about him?”

He gives me a stern look. “Come on, you live with the guy. He’s unbearable. I have a few classes with him and he’s a complete tool. I don’t know why he says the shit he says about some freshman girl who hasn’t done anything to anyone. I wanna know what his deal is.”

“Is _that_ why you wanted to meet me?” I say, disappointed. “To ask questions about my asshat foster brother?” I don’t even want to call him my _brother_.

“I’ve seen the way you act around him. You totally freeze up when he’s around. Even when he just walks by you in the hall.”

It’s true. He bumps me a lot when he walks by me in the halls. Why does this guy I barely know care so much? I feel the hot, angry tears well up in my eyes. I just know the thing on my chest is glowing, but my jacket hides it pretty well.

“Has he…hurt you?” He drops the cigarette and smashes it into the concrete with his foot. He brushes a lock of hair out of my face and tucks it behind my ear. “You can tell me.”

I can’t hold them back anymore. The tears come streaming down my face, warming up my cheeks in the cold. “Why do you care? You don’t even know me.”

I notice he’s tearing up as well. Do I have some kind of effect on people?

“His bio parents were druggies,” I sob. “They cared more about getting their fix than him. He has to take that anger out on _someone_, I guess. He just chose me for some reason.”

Randy reaches out to wipe the tears away from my face. I back away.

“Doesn’t change the fact he’s a total asshat.”

I sniffle. “I know.”

Randy reaches out to me again and lifts my chin up so I can meet his eyes.

“I hate to see a pretty girl like you sad,” he says. “You need to speak up for yourself. If someone’s giving you shit, speak up. Tell someone. Who cares what will happen.”

As if anyone will actually listen to me. There’s a place in my mind where I keep all bad thoughts locked up, with no way to reach the surface. “I’d probably just get thrown into another foster home. It’s easier to just keep my mouth shut.”

He sighs. “Lori, I can tell you’ve had a rough life, but when the world shoves you around, ya gotta get up and shove back. I’ve been there.”

I hate it when people give me motivational speeches like this. Before I can protest, Randy comes up to me and wraps me in a tight hug. It takes me by surprise. I don’t know if I should struggle out of his grasp or not. Do I like this? I’m not sure. “I know you don’t know me that well, but I’m always here if you need someone to talk to. If you _want_ to.”

I can’t help myself. I lean in and kiss him, breathe in the scent of his cologne. His lips lock in with mine. We melt into each other like butter. Like we were made for each other. I feel like I could fly.

The kiss gets more intense. I’m up against the wall with his hands on my hips, our tongues seem to dance together. This is the first time I’ve ever kissed a boy. I hope I’m not a bad kisser. With no one around, it’s like we’re in our own world.

He moves down to my neck. I let out a little moan as he slides his hands under my jacket and up my shirt. His hands are freezing. His jacket smells like cigarettes. My eyes fly open. I push him away.

“Lori? What’s wrong?”

I’m shaking. “I…I can’t. I’m sorry, I have to go.”

I bolt back into the school building, leaving Randy behind.

I go to Sydney’s house after school. We’re in our usual hang out place in the basement. She’s squealing like a banshee when I mention what happened today at lunch. I take it she’s feeling better.

“Ohmygod, tell me _everything_!”

I grab a handful of chips from the bag. “We had a nice heart to heart. I don’t know, we just kind of…connected. It was so surreal.”

“Aaannnnd?”

“We kissed. I got a little carried away, I guess.”

“Lori, that’s fantastic!” Sydney exclaims. “My best friend got her first boyfriend! Well, he _is _your first boyfriend, right?”

“I don’t-”

She squeals so loud she could probably wake up the whole country. “Oh, this is so exciting! Soon, I’ll have my first boyfriend and then we can go on double dates, and-”

“Sydney. Stop.”

“W-what?”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” I say. “I don’t know what he is. I just know we got a little carried away and I ran away like an idiot. I screwed it all up like I do with everything.”

Sydney seems to be at a loss for words. “Oh, Lori.”

She hugs me. I pull away after a moment. “I…need to go home. This week has been nuts.”

“Wait! Before you go, I need to tell you something.”

“What?”

She smiles at me. “I signed us both up for the choir club!”

“You _WHAT?_”

“I know! Isn’t this exciting? We get to sing and be in the play, and we’ll actually be getting involved with the school!”

It takes me all the willpower in the world not to strangle Sydney. “No. I don’t want this. I can’t sing. I don’t even play any instruments. I don’t have a musical bone in my body.”

“Anyone can sing with the right practice,” Sydney says. I find that hard to believe. “I took singing and piano lessons as a kid. I can help you!”

“Why would you do this?”

“Oh, come on, Lori. You might like it.”

With a huff, I head up the stairs and ask Sydney’s mom for a ride home. I definitely don’t want to talk to her after this.

The dreams I get are becoming even more frequent. It’s actually starting to concern me. At times, I get flashbacks in my head when I’m awake. Not really flashbacks. Daydreams?

I just want the whispers in my head to go away. I still recognize their voices. Maybe this reincarnation thing _is _real.

I hear them in my head as sitting at the dining room table, doing my homework. I can’t concentrate.

Among the whispers, there’s a name I recognize the most.

_Blue Diamond_.


	7. Chapter 7

“Is that a hickey?”

Mom inspects my neck as a bunch of “oooohhhh’s” erupt from all of my siblings except for John.

“What’s a hickey?” he asks.

“Okay, Lori,” Mom says, going into interrogation mode. “Who is it?”

She can be pretty scary at times. I swallow the knot in my throat so I can speak. “Uh…his name is Randy.”

“Randy Harrison?” Matthew laughs. “That guy is a psycho!”

Alyssa chimes in. “No, he isn’t. Don’t listen to him, Mom. Randy is actually a big softie underneath all that tough guy exterior.”

Mom doesn’t seem to hear them. “Now Lori, be completely honest with me. Did you have sex with this boy?”

“Did y’all use a condom at least?” Amy chirps.

“Amy, hush. Well?”

I can feel my face turning red. “What? No! We just kissed, that’s all!”

Mom nods. “Alright. I don’t want you to see this boy anymore. You’re grounded for two weeks.”

She hesitates before continuing. She doesn’t seem to know how to punish me. I’ve never really been in trouble before. “No TV, no phone…and no friends’ houses. You are to come _straight_ home after school, you understand me?”

I nod as I stare down at my feet, not even daring to look her in the face. Being grounded isn’t much of a big deal to me, since I pretty much have no social life anyway. The only downside is I’ll probably never be able to see Randy again. Don’t kid yourself, Lori. You think he _actually_ likes you? Do I _want_ him to like me?

Just to keep up appearances and to make Mom think she’s doing a good job, I bolt up the stairs, pretending to be upset. Stomp, stomp, slam. Straight into my room. So teenager-like.

This isn’t exactly how I planned to spend my Saturday, but it’s time to get down to business. I need to know what this “Blue Diamond” I keep hearing about in my dreams is. The voices I hear in my head. What the thing on my chest might be. What if Alyssa is right and reincarnation is real? Could it be who I was in my past life? How would it explain the gem on my chest?

I grab Alyssa’s laptop and sit cross-legged on my bed. Maybe, just maybe, the Internet will have some answers to all of this. I type _blue diamond_ into the search engine. Nothing. Just pictures of jewelry and something about a little town in Nevada. This already seems hopeless.

I scroll through the search results with just one little sliver of hope that I might find _something_ until the very end, where I find what looks like a blog.

“Keep Beach City Weird?” I mutter to myself as I read the contents on the screen and click on the link. “Ronaldo Fryman…_Mr. Fryman_!?”

Mr. Fryman is one of our neighbors who lives just a block away from us. He moved to Keystone from Beach City a few years ago. He keeps a blog on Keystone, but I never knew he had one on Beach City. It’s not surprising, though. It hasn’t been updated in years.

Mr. Fryman has been arrested for disturbing the peace on numerous occasions, and each time his younger brother has had to bail him out. He’s almost like the local street performer.

I scroll through the blog and see pictures of the city, and…wait a minute. I see people with gems embedded in their bodies just like me. Am I not the only one? They look so different, though. Not human. Are these pictures even real? I skim through the page for more information.

_Crystal Gems._

_Homeworld._

_The Great Diamond Authority._

_Attacks on Beach City. _

_Rock People…?_

It all seems so familiar, yet I don’t know where I know them from. Could any of this have anything to do with me? Is this more than just the ramblings of some loony conspiracy theorist? Am _I_ crazy?

“Yo, Lori!” I hear Alyssa’s voice from outside the door. “You have a visitor!”

I quickly close the laptop and slide it under my bed. “Come in.”

The door opens, and I see none other than Sydney. She shuts the door behind her. “Hey, Lori! Alyssa told me you were grounded, so I came to visit you! I’m sorry you got grounded by the way. Did you get my text?”

“No. I haven’t checked my phone all morning.”

She sits on the edge of my bed. “Well, Mr. Stetman is holding a competition for choir club. You have to write a song, and whichever one wins will be performed by the choir to open for the play! Isn’t that exciting?”

I almost forgot that Sydney had roped me into something stupid, as always. “Greeeeaaat.”

“C’mon, let’s get started!”

She opens her bag and takes out a notebook. She rips a page out of it and hands it to me. “I don’t know if I can do this, Sydney. I’m not much of a writer.”

“Nonsense! Just use your imagination. Write something from your heart. Write about something that makes you happy or enraged, or…something. That’s what Mr. Stetman tells me!”

Mr. Stetman is the school’s drama teacher. He hosts the choir club meetings in the music room at lunch on Mondays and Wednesdays. He’s your typical eccentric artsy type.

I ponder for a minute, then begin writing on the page. This song is going to suck, I already know it. Not that I want to win.

“Hey, Sydney.”

“Hmm.”

“You know anything about gems?”

She stops writing. “Not really. Just that they make really expensive jewelry out of them. Why do you ask?”

“You know what the one on my chest might be?”

She crawls up to me to get a closer look. “I’m not sure. It’s not like we can take it out and examine it, either. Are you it’s not just some weird tumor?”

I frown at her. “I’m pretty sure.”

She laughs. “I’m kidding, you know.”

Sydney’s eyes wander to my neck. “Hey, did Randy give you a hickey? Is _that_ why you’re grounded?”

I cover it with my hand, really embarrassed.

“Don’t worry, I can cover it up with makeup!”

Sydney rummages through her bag again and fishes out some foundation and matte powder.

“This is a bit darker than your skin tone, but I think I can make it work.”

She pats the foundation in with her fingers, then lightly brushes over it with the powder. “Tah-dah! Good as new.”

“Thanks, I guess.”

Sydney tosses her bag on the floor as we get back to writing our lyrics. A new thought crosses my mind.

“Sydney, do you think there might be other living beings out there? Like aliens? Do you think they would come to Earth and interbreed with people?”  


She scoffs. “Lori, do you even hear yourself right now? That’s just ridiculous. There’s no such thing as aliens.”

I shrug. “Just a thought. Do you believe in past lives, by any chance?”  


“Kind of,” Sydney says, shooting a concerned look my way. “Why are you asking me weird questions? Are you okay today?”

“Just hear me out. I want to know what all these weird dreams I’ve been having mean. I want to know what happened to my real parents…I want to know who or _what_ I really am. So will you help me?”

“Well, there is _one _thing,” Sydney says as she stands up, her voice trailing off in thought. “It’s called a past life regression. It’s a technique that uses hypnosis to recover memories from your past life, so you can see what they saw. Usually, people go to a hypnotherapist to do one, but I read an article on how you can do one at home.”

“Let’s do it.”

Sydney looks dumbfounded. “I…I don’t know if it actually works. You can’t believe anything you read on the Internet, you know.”

“It can’t hurt to try. Just tell me what I need to do.”

“Um…okay.” Sydney acts like I’m scaring her. I’m sure it’s because she’s never seen me this enthusiastic about anything. I’m even surprising myself a little.

“First, we need to turn off the lights,” Sydney says as she flips the light switch. “Now lie down on your bed, and get comfy. You have to be comfortable, clear-minded, and focused.”

I lie back down on my bed, flat on my back. “What now?”

“Close your eyes and just relax. Clear all distractions from your mind. Bring your breathing to an even flow. Just let your mind wander.”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. All the noises from the house and the hustle and bustle of the town just fade into nothing as my mind goes completely blank. My arms and legs go numb. It’s like I’ve become nothing and everything at the same time.

I can hear those same voices again. Faint little echoes in the far corners of my mind that grow louder and louder as I plunge deep into this trance-like state. Bits and fragments of long-lost memories playing out in front of me like a broken VHS tape.

That’s when I see her. A blue woman’s reflection staring back at me, her eyes jarring into my soul as tears stream down her face. She looks almost exactly like me. Could it be…

I sit up abruptly with a gasp. Heart racing, a thin layer of sweat covering my face.

“Did it work?” Sydney says. “What happened? What did you see?”

I try to regain my composure. “I…that really was something.”

“What is it?”

My throat is dry. “It wasn’t very clear. I…Sydney, I think I saw my mom.”

Her face falls. “You mean-”

I nod. Sydney pulls me into a hug. I hesitantly return it.

“I think you need some time to…process. I’ll see you Monday.”

Now that Sydney has gone home, it’s time for me to do some real investigating. I need to start with when I was born. I was always told that I was born in Keystone, but I doubt it. I’m sure Mom has a copy of my birth certificate somewhere.

I peer out of my bedroom door. Alyssa has gone to softball practice. Mom and Amy have gone to work, and everyone else is in their rooms. The coast is clear.

I scurry downstairs and find the key to Mom’s room in its not-so-secret hiding place. Mom likes to lock up her room when she’s gone. I just happen to know she keeps it in one of the potted plants. I open the door and make my way into the walk-in closet in the master bathroom, where she keeps a big filing cabinet filled with important documents. I open one of the drawers and sift through all of the neatly organized papers tucked into file folders.

Come on, it has to be in here somewhere. A-ha!

I’ve never actually seen my birth certificate before. It’s interesting to look at.

_Beach City, Delmarva._

I knew it. I wasn’t born in Keystone. I’ve been lied to all this time.

I tuck the birth certificate into a notebook and put it in my backpack. I come out of Mom’s room and lock up, making sure she won’t suspect that someone was in there.

The next step in my plan is to visit my first foster parents, Glenn and Joan Reese, the people who took me in as a baby and cared for me until I went to a different foster home when I was ten. They’re an older couple who actually live just on the other side of town. It’s been a while since I’ve visited them. It’s about time I learn the truth.

I’ll take the bus over there. I scrounge around the house for some change and put on my jacket and backpack. I sneak out the door without a peep.

Grounded-schmounded.

Seeing this house again brings back so many memories. The lawn covered in a thick blanket of snow brings me back to building snowmen with Glenn as a little kid. I see Joan has already put out those cute Thanksgiving decorations.

I ring the doorbell. Within moments, Joan answers the door. Her face lights up immediately upon seeing me. She pulls me into a tight embrace.

“Oh, Lori!” she exclaims. “It’s so good to see you. You’ve grown so much since we last saw you! Glenn, look who’s here!”

She leads me inside and takes my jacket. The living room looks exactly the same. Same couch and everything. The whole place takes me back to when I was little. I used to pretend I was a princess, adopted when my kingdom was overrun by bad guys. I would make believe that one day my real family would send the royal limo to pick me up. I would sit by the front window waiting for it. When I was seven, Glenn’s old company sent him a limo to take him to the airport. I just about had a heart attack because I thought it was for me. He took taxis after that.

We sit at the dining table. Glenn sets a mug of hot cocoa in front of me. “So Lori, anything new?”

“How’s our big stuff highschooler doing?” Joan coos.

I take a sip from my mug. “Oh, um, I’m doing fine. I’m doing a sort of investigation, and I wanted to ask you guys some questions.”

I open my notebook to a blank page and set it on the table.

“What is this?” Joan chuckles. “Are you interviewing us?”

I take out my birth certificate and lay it out in front of them. “You guys said I was born in Keystone. Can you explain this?”

They exchange worried glances.

“I think we should tell her,” Glenn says.

Joan sighs. “Lori, the circumstances surrounding your birth were very strange. Yes, you were, in fact, born in Beach City, and as I’m sure you know, crazy things happen in that place all the time. We knew from the day you came home with us that you were different, but we’ve always believed that you deserve a normal life.”

She pauses to take her glasses off and wipes a tear from her eye. “Your birth mother…didn’t necessarily die. At least, I don’t think so. The staff at the hospital said there was a bright light and she just…disappeared. Without a trace. Only you were left. It made just as little sense to us as it probably does to you. The hospital staff was in a frenzy trying to figure out what had happened before we could bring you home.” 

Joan is right, none of this makes any sense to me. I can feel my heart sink as I take in this new information. “What else? Do you guys know anything else about my parents?”

“Well,” Joan says. “The nurses said your mother was kind of tall. She was wearing some kind of cowl, so they couldn’t really see her face. And your father stayed with you that night. He fed you, dressed you, and put you to sleep. He was never heard from again after that. We never got his name. It seemed like he didn’t want to give you up. They said he didn’t even react when the woman disappeared. That’s all we know, I swear.”

I close the notebook as soon as I finish jotting down the last of my notes. “Thanks, guys, for all your help. It was good to see you again.”

We all stand up from the table and the older couple pull me into a warm embrace.

“We hope you find what you’re looking for, Lori,” Joan says. “If you ever need anything, feel free to come visit us anytime. You know we’ve always wanted what’s best for you.”

I don’t want to burst into tears in front of them. I take my stuff and head out the door, back into the biting cold. I guess the next stop would be Mr. Fryman’s house. He’s the last person I want to talk to about this stuff, but I have a feeling he may know something about my family.


	8. Chapter 8

"Mr. Fryman!" I yell, standing in out in the snow, pounding on his front door. "Ugh, Ronaldooooooo!"

I hear a shout from inside. "Go away! I'm not interested in whatever you're selling!"

"What? No, it's me, Lori, you dingus! Let me in, it's freezing!"

Suddenly the door opens, and with one swift movement, I'm pulled inside and door is slammed shut behind me.

"Lori! Long time, no see. How've you been?" He pulls up a chair and motions for me to sit down. His living room is dark, the only light coming from his computer monitor.

"Uh, good, I guess," I say as I take a seat next to him by his computer. I open my bag and and take out my notebook. "So I'm doing this investigation type thing, and-"

"Ooh, an investigation! Awesome. What can I help you with?"

I clear my throat. "I found your old blog, the one about Beach City, and-"

"You read my blog?! Well, what do you think?"

I sigh and furrow my brows, growing irritated at constantly being interrupted. "Ronaldo, please listen to me. I really, really need your help with this."

I unzip my jacket and pull my shirt down, just enough to reveal the gem on my chest. "What can you tell me about this?"

He leans forward, eyes narrowing as he studies the gem. "Hmm...this reminds me of a friend of mine back in Beach City. What was his name again?"

"Focus, you crazy old man!"

He jerks back, looking absolutely deflated. "O-old?" He suddenly bursts into tears. "I'm in my thirtiiieeeeesss!"

"What in the world is going on in here?"

I turn to see his younger brother, Peedee, standing in the doorway. "Lori, what'd you do now? More importantly, what are you even doing here?"

"Nothing! I-"

"I'm sorry, but you need to leave. Now."

I stand and sling my backpack over my shoulder. Peedee leads me out the front door and shuts it behind me without another word.

This is hopeless.

I take the bus home. I peer through the front door, and with no one in sight, I scurry through the living room, up the stairs, and into my room, making as little noise as possible. I sit down at my desk, dumping all the contents of my backpack onto it.

I pore over my notes again. I barely have anything! It seems at this point I'll never find out the truth about my parents, where I came from.

I'm so tired. I haven't slept well in days because of this. I just want to sleep. But every time I close my eyes, I see her face. A coma would be nice. Or amnesia. Anything to stop these thoughts, these whispers in my head.

Something pushes me, slamming my face into my desk. "Ow!"

I turn to see Matthew towering over me. "Where've you been you little hoe? Aren't you grounded?"

I cup my cheek, the stinging pain still radiating through my face. "It's none of your damn business."

He grabs me by the shirt, lifting me out of chair and smacks me upside the head. Thwack! It's almost deafening. "And just who the fuck do you think you're talking to?"

I notice the smell of alcohol on his breath. "The hell? Have you been drinking?"

Ignoring me, he goes to my desk, picking up my notebook.

"Hey, give that to me NOW!"

He raises it over his head, out of my reach. "Aw, are you trying to find out about your mommy and daddy?" His mocking tone makes angry tears well up in my eyes.

He tosses it back to the desk. "Well, guess what. They're gone. They don't need you, they don't want you. That's why you're here, why I'm here."

"Get out! Or I'm going to tell Mom!"

Just then, he punches me in the face. I feel the blood trickle from my nose. He wraps his hands around my neck, pinning me to the wall.

"You've been real cocky lately, Lori. I've had it," he says, his voice an icy whisper.

I want to scream, call for help. I can't breathe.

He throws my onto my bed, pinning my wrists down. "Maybe it's time I taught you another...lesson."

He moves closer, forcing himself onto me. I try to move away. He's too strong.

No, not again.

"Ungh, no," I groan.

A blue aura fills the room. A sudden burst of strength and energy surges through me. The scream building in my gut bursts out of me.

"NNNNOOOOOOO!"

I kick him off me, and punch him in the face, my fist plowing into his jaw with a sickening crack.

He cowers in the corner, whimpering as he clutches his cheek.

I look down and realize my hands are glowing. Blue? I don't care.

I tower over him. I want to make him pay. Make him scream. Something in the back of my mind tells me I've done enough.

I pick him up by the shirt collar. Where did this strength come from? I don't care. "Don't ever touch me again."

He nods.

The door opens, light flooding into the room.

"What the hell is going on in here?!"


	9. Chapter 9

I sit cross-legged on the hospital bed, staring down at the cast on my arm. The doctor said I hit him so hard that I broke my hand, and shattered his jaw. They ask me if I'd had any previous altercations with him. I can't bring myself to answer.

Mom rushes in with Alyssa trailing behind her. She throws her arms around my neck. "I left work as soon as Alyssa called me. My god, are you okay?"

I pull away from her. "I'm pretty banged up." I glance at Alyssa. "I thought you had softball practice or something."

"Haven't you seen the snow?" she says. "It got canceled because of the weather. But seriously, at least be glad I called for an ambulance when I did."

"Alyssa, why don't you go back to the waiting room with your siblings?" Mom says, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I need to talk to Lori in private."

She nods, giving me a hug before heading out the door.

Mom sits next to me. She wrings her hands awkwardly as we sit in silence for a moment.

"I...take it you and Matt haven't been getting along."

I don't look at her, shifting my eyes to the floor. "That obvious?"

"Look, honey," she hesitates, sighing before continuing. "I had a feeling something was going on, but...I've just been so busy with work, and you hardly ever talk to me, and just...I'm sorry. He's always been a bully, and I should've put a stop to it before it escalated to this."

I don't respond, pressing my lips into a straight line.

"Do you know how many foster homes he's been bounced between before ending up with us? No one could handle him."

I cross my arms over my chest, still staring at the white tile floor of my hospital room, every texture, every groove all seeming to blend together.

I feel her hand on my shoulder. "Honey."

I shrug her hand away.

"Please talk to me. Did anything happen between you two when you were, um...placed in my care? Anything I need to be made aware of?"

I wince, my stomach doing flips upon hearing her questions. I finally look up at her. "You really want to know?"

"I need to know, Lori."

I look down again, I bite my lip so hard I swear it starts bleeding a little. Hot tears well in my eyes, my throat tightens so much I'm afraid I won't be able to speak, my body not wanting to finally spill the secret I've bottled up within me for a year. My good hand balls up into a tight fist. I feel a warmth in my chest as that same blue aura fills the room.

Here it comes.

A shaky sob escapes my throat as I cover my face with my hands in shame. A memory I thought was long buried in the deepest depths of my mind comes bubbling back up to the surface.

"He raped me."

The silence is deafening. I feel a weight lifted from my chest now that it's finally out in the open.

I brace myself for the onslaught of insults from Mom. I expect her to call me a whore, say that I enticed him somehow.

But she doesn't.

I look up at her again, and to my surprise, she's in tears as well. She pulls me into a tight embrace, burying her face in my shoulder.

"Oh, Lori, I'm so, so sorry," she sobs. "I had no idea. Why didn't you tell me, o-or anyone?"

"I was scared."

She pulls away, her hands still on my shoulders. "I'll get in contact with the police right now. I'll make sure he doesn't hurt anyone again."

She gets up and pulls out her cell phone before I can say anything else. What did I just do?

I'm not sure if I should be relieved or terrified.

Did you hear what Lori did to Matt? You know, the junior guy.

Her pervy foster brother? Oh yeah, I heard he finally got what was coming to him.

Right. Attacked her in her own room. Can you believe that?

I heard she did a number on his face. And her hand. That's pretty badass.

I heard he's in juvie now, so at least we don't have to see him anymore. He creeped me out.

I've been the talk of practically the whole school ever since I came back. I can't help but notice all the other kids murmuring amongst each other as I walk past them in the halls. I try to ignore it. I just want to phase into the floor and disappear until this all blows over. Although, the praise I've been getting from girls in every grade is pretty sweet. Apparently I wasn't the only victim of his harassment. They run up to me in the hall between classes, pat me on the back, and sign my cast, saying the creep got what he deserved.

I couldn't agree more.

Yet I can't help but be terrified at the same time. Of course, he was furious about being hauled off to juvie. Furious at me. But I'm finally safe. I'm free. He will be going on trial when he turns eighteen, of course. But what will he do when...if he gets out of jail? What if he finds me? I need to get out of Keystone fast. Maybe this will be my chance to finally go to Beach City? I could just run away. But what about school? Another part of me begs me not to do anything stupid.

My thoughts are interrupted by a familiar voice. "Lori!"

Sydney runs up to me in the hall and hugs me, practically crashing into me. "Ohmygod, I heard about what happened. Are you okay?"

"Do I have to answer that?"

She slinks back. "S-sorry...so what happened? Did he-"

"Let's not talk about this right now," I say, brushing past her.

She catches up to me. "Where are you going?"

"Home. School's over."

"We have our club meeting after school, remember?" she says, looking at me with puppy eyes.

"Oh, joy."

"Come on, Lori," she whines, tugging on my good arm, trying to drag me towards the auditorium with her. "Did you at least finish your song? That assignment is due in a couple weeks."

"Still working on it."

"Just come with me, pleeeeeaaaaasssseeee? I could use the company."

I sigh. "Fine."


End file.
